The African American Museum and Cultural Center of Florida, in partnership with the Florida Humanities, will examine water as an environmental necessity and an important cultural elements in Water|Ways, a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street (MoMS) program.
Water|Ways will be on view in the Museum’s Founders Gallery at 4422 N. US Hwy 1, Palm Coast, from July 9 through September 3, 2022. A ribbon-cutting is scheduled for between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. A keynote presentation by Robert Whiting is at 1 p.m., with an artists’ reception at 4 p.m. There will also be food trucks and a cash bar. The exhibit is free.
The Museum was expressly chosen by the Florida Humanities as part of the MoMS national, state and local partnership to bring exhibitions and programs to museums and cultural organizations in rural locations across the USA. Support for MoMS is provided by Congress.
“It is an honor for the AACS museum and cultural center to have been chosen as one of seven locations out of over 300 who competed, to bring Water|Ways to our region,” said Sybil Dodson-Lucas, Director of Curatorial Affairs. “We look forward to welcoming local and out of town students, families and community members to learn about the importance and significance of water.”
Water|Ways explores the endless motion of the water cycle, water’s effect on landscape, settlement and migration, and its impact on culture and spirituality. It looks at how political and economic planning have long been affected by access to water and control of water resources, and how human creativity and resourcefulness provide new ways of protecting water resources and renewing respect for the natural environment. The exhibit showcases the numerous connections humans have to water that are overlooked.
From above, Earth appears as a water planet with more than 71 percent of its surface covered with this vital resource for life. Water impacts our climate, agriculture, transportation, industry and more. It also inspires art and music.
“Water is an important part of everyone’s life and we are excited to explore what it means in our community,” says curator, Meshella Woods.“Palm Coast was recently recognized on a national basis as being “Most Water Wise”. With this exhibit we hope to promote a positive dialogue about water that results in continued conservation actions throughout our communities. As a complement to the Smithsonian exhibition, we have created a local artist exhibition and presentations that will also contribute to a greater understanding of water in cultural, social, and spiritual contexts.”
For a detailed exhibition description,tour/speaker schedule, special events and FREE tickets, visit
aacsmuseum.org/waterways.
Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
